breakfast food bliss

Easter Sunday is easily one of my favorite holidays to cook for.  We always have a huge brunch for my whole family with an obscene amount of food, but the dishes don't usually vary.  This is where my love of the day comes in.  I try and make something different each year (in addition to deviled eggs, of course) that I know everyone will enjoy.  Last year I made these outrageous banana bread cupcakes so I knew I had my work cut out for me.  After a tough debate of savory vs. sweet I ultimately decided on a strata...aka everything you love about breakfast baked together. Sold.

This is such a simple recipe and it's fully customizable to suit your tastes.  Don't like bacon? Bring on the sausage.  Mushrooms gross you out? Peppers, please.  I'd love to hear about your changes and how they tasted!

Things you'll need:

2 T olive oil

2 small onions, diced 

3 c (10 oz) sliced mushrooms

8 slices bacon, cooked & chopped

1 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 c (6 oz) shredded Swiss cheese

3/4 c (3 oz) shredded fontina cheese

6 c bread cubes (about 1 inch)

2 c baby spinach

8 eggs, beaten

2 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Start with your olive oil in a nonstick skillet (I used a cast iron pan) over medium high heat before adding the onions.  You want to cook them at this temperature just until they've softened, about 2 minutes, then turn it down to medium and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they're a nice golden brown. 

I used this down time to cut up my bread, shred my cheese and cook my bacon.  I have this great contraption called Makin' Bacon that cooks it in the microwave on these t-shaped hangers that lets all the fat drip down and get caught in the bottom.  Now I don't make bacon very often at all but it's nice that there's an option to cook it without it sitting in its own grease.  Brilliant.

For the bread I got a nice french baguette which was perfect in the strata.  The crust stayed hard while the soft insides soaked up all the egg for a perfect blend of texture.  I definitely recommend going with a crusty loaf for this recipe.

Alright, back to the onions. Remove them when they're done and add your mushrooms.  These don't take nearly as long to cook and will be done in about 4 minutes, so keep and eye on them and keep stirring! Once your veggies are all set you're going to add them along with the bacon, thyme, cheese, spinach and bread cubes in a large bowl.  Next comes the addition of the eggs, milk, salt and pepper that you pour over the other ingredients.  Give it all a stir to combine.

Throw it all into a casserole dish, press down with a spatula so it's even, and bake at 350º for about 50 minutes, or until it's nice and browned. You can serve this dish right out of the oven or at room temp. 

Simple.  Delicious.  Crowd pleasing.  What more could you ask for?

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